Atty. Cynthia Viñas-Pantonal Courtesy: House Committee on Justice
THE notary public behind Ramil L. Madriaga’s affidavit took the stand before the House Committee on Justice on Tuesday, testifying under oath that she personally confirmed the alleged bagman’s identity when he appeared before her on Nov. 29, 2025.
Atty. Cynthia Viñas-Pantonal was the first witness called as the justice committee opened its hearing on the evidence cited in the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, with lawmakers initially focusing on technical questions to establish the legal authenticity of Madriaga’s affidavit.
Pantonal gave the committee a document from the Taguig City clerk of court that confirmed Madriaga’s affidavit was correctly recorded in her notarial register as Document No. 267, Page No. 50, Book No. 9, Series of 2025.
Pampanga Rep. Alyssa Michaela “Mica” M. Gonzales first asked Pantonal whether she had the original affidavit she notarized, to which Pantonal said she had both the sworn statement and the certification.
“Dala ko po ang certified true copy at ang certification from the office of the clerk of court that the affidavit of PDL Madriaga was registered in my notarial book,” Pantonal answered.
Gonzales then sought clarification on whether the affidavit was notarized in accordance with the 2004 Rules on Notarial Practice, specifically if Madriaga had personally appeared before her.
“Yes, he voluntarily sworn, subscribed and before me his five-paged affidavit on November 29, 2025 at BJMP Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City,” Pantonal said.
When Cavite Rep. Adrian Jay C. Advincula asked a question, Justice Committee Chairperson Gerville “Jinky” Luistro of Batangas told the committee staff to provide copies of the documents to all members of the justice committee, including those who are not regular members and respondent Duterte.
Baguio Rep. Mauricio G. Domogan then asked Pantonal to confirm whether Madriaga had indeed executed the affidavit, which she responded in the affirmative.
With no further questions from the committee, Pantonal was excused from the hearing.
The affidavit, now authenticated before the committee, narrates Madriaga’s account of how Duterte’s confidential funds were allegedly handled.
Madriaga, in his affidavit, identified himself as a close ally of Duterte, introduced to her in 2018 and tasked with intelligence gathering. He claimed to have witnessed the encashment of the Office of the Vice President’s confidential funds and personally picked up and delivered duffel bags of cash between 2022 and 2023 — including the P125 million that was spent in just 11 days.
With the Duterte camp crying foul over alleged bias, Luistro stressed in her opening statement that the impeachment hearings are no “fishing “expedition”—they are simply meant to determine whether the allegations against the vice president have sufficient basis to proceed.
Senior Deputy Minority Leader Leila de Lima of the Mamamayang Liberal Party-list, who endorsed the Saballa et al. complaint, agreed, stressing that establishing whether probable cause exists to impeach Duterte does not mean the House determines her guilt or innocence.
Manila Rep. Bienvenido “Benny” M. Abante Jr., one of the endorsers of the fourth impeachment complaint, also said that the House is acting in line with its constitutional mandate and that the impeachment proceedings are about upholding accountability, not settling personal scores.
“If there are irregularities, the Filipino people have the right to know,” he said in his opening statement.
Abante also pushed back against attempts to discredit Madriaga ahead of his testimony, saying the committee hearing is the proper venue to test the credibility of his claims. The alleged bagman also testified before the committee on Tuesday’s hearing.
Duterte is accused of culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and other high crimes over the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds, bribery, unexplained wealth, and death threats issued against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez.
